Car-coupling release rigging



G. E. MURRAY.

CAR COUPLING RELEASE RIGGING. APPLICATION nu-:0 APR. 26, 1920.

1,422,293, Patented July 11, 1922.

GEORGE E. MURRAY, 0F BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 'IO WALTER MURPHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLTNG RELEASE RIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented uly ill, 1922.

Application fi1ed April 26, 1920. Serial No. 376,752.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Car-Coupling Release 'Riggings, of which the following is a specification.

There are in use on a number of freight cars release riggings for car couplers comprising a rod revolubly mounted on the end of a car, having a crank handle at its outer end and a crank arm at its inner end projecting forwardly from the car the outer end of the crank arm being provided with a horizontally extending eye in which one end of r a chain is secured and the other end being secured to the lock pin of a coupler. Clevises are also used to connect the crank arm and lock pin. These chains, and clevises with their bolts, nuts, and cotter pins are deemed objectionable by the Federal Government, therefore many expedients have been tried to provide an acceptable and serviceable substitute for the chain and clevis connection, in order to save the railroads the loss of the many operating rods now on the cars. Some of these expedients consist of attachments secured in the horizontally extending eye of the crank arm but in each instance, as far as I know these expedients require the use of bolts, nuts, and cotter'pins, all of which are objectionable to the Federal Gov ernment.

The object of my invention is to utilize the above described one piece operating rod now on the cars and I accomplish this object by twisting the crank arm of the rod 90 degrees so that the eye of the crankarm will extend vertically whereby I am enabled to connect the crank arm to the lock pin bymeans of a single elongated'loop or link which constitutes a flexible connection between the crank arm and lock pin which permits of all service movements of the coupler without imposing strains upon the parts, the loop or link being free to slide vertically through the eye and free to move sidewise, backward and forward.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my release rigging attached to a car.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figure 1 with the parts in normal position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the lock pin in elevated position.

Figures 5 and 6 are front and side elevations of my improved loop or link.

Figure 7 is a detail top plan view of one end of the operating rod and link.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one end of the rod illustrating my method, the dotted lines indicating the original position of the eye after 'my method has been practiced.

The reference numeral 1 designates a car, 2 the buffer block, 3 the coupler and 4: the coupler lock pin all of which may be of any approved construction.

The operating rod 5 is provided with a depending handle 6 at its outer end and with a crank arm 7 at its-inner end, said crank extending forwardly from the end of the car and terminating in an eye 8 the opening of which extends vertically. The operating rod 5 is revolubly mounted on the car in brackets 9 which may be of suitable construction and adapted for the successful operation of the release rigging.

There are many thousands of freight cars equipped with the one piece revolubly mounted operating lever or rod in which the outer end of the crank arm is provided with an eye which extends horizontally and it is the custom to secure one end of a chain in said horizontally extending eye and secure the other end of the chain in the eye of the lock pin. The use of a chain in this connection is objectionable to the Federal Government and many expedients have been suggested as substitutes for the chain and which can be used with the one piece rod and thus avoid the necessity of the railroads throwing away many thousands of these one piece rods. But in all of these expedients as far as I am aware, it is necessary to use bolts, nuts, and cotter pins, all ofwhich are also objectionable to the Federal Government.

My method of utilizing the present type of one piece release rigging rod or lever is to twist the crank arm 7 90 degrees so that the eye in the end of the crank arm will extend vertically. This crank arm may be twisted cold by any suitable device, such as a Stilson wrench.

I provide a flexible connection between the crank arm 7 and the lock pin 4 by employing a single elongated split loop or link 10 one arm of the link extending through the eye 8 While the lower end of the link ex tends through the eye of the lock pine; By-

splitting the link I am enabled to readily snapv the link intothe eye of the operating rod and the eye of the coupler lock pin, the

link being preferably made of spring steel.

The link passing transversely through the eye of the-lock pin 4 is prevented from rotat parts.

-' It will be n ted in Figures? and 3 that normally the upper end of the link: 10 is above'the eye 8- sotha'tthe' link may move downwardly equal t the" lawful downward movement of a coupler Without any'liability of the-upper end of the link coming in contact with the crank arm 7 and. thereby accidentally pulling: the lock pin.

By my invention the railroads will be saved anenormous amount of money by being able to utilize the present one piece operating rod which they now have on. their cars.

What I claim is: v

The method of transforming the usual one piece rotatably mountedlook operating rods of car couplers having a: horizontally extending'eye in its crank arm which consists in: twisting said eye substantially 90 degrees so that the eye extends vertically, whereby said vertically extending eye and the lock pin may be connected by means eta. single closed split' link.

In testimony'Whereoii'I aflixmy signature.

eeonen MURRAY. 

